The strong night frosts at the end of April 2017, during the time of blossom, regionally caused extensive losses for the harvest of cherries.
The Bureau of Statistics (Destatis) reports that German producers, according to first estimates on June 10, overall only expect around 19.600 tons of cherries. This would be 61% less than the average of the last ten years (50.600 tons). It would be the lowest yield in cherry harvests since the German reunion.
The losses will probably even bigger for sweet cherries than they were for sour cherries. With around 11.300 tons, the harvest is 64% below the 10-year average of about 31.500 tons. With 8.300 tons, the producers are expecting 57% less than the average of 19.100 tons.
Sweet cherries are cultivated on an area of 5000 hectare, with main focus on Baden-Wuerttemberg (40% of cultivation area).
Throughout Germany, sour cherries grow on an acreage of 2.000 hectare. Leaders are Rhineland-Palatinate with more than 600 hectares and Saxony, holding 500 hectares.
You can read more about the preliminary estimations (June) for sweet- and sour cherries here.
Source: destatis
